Head of Secondary School
Sports Luncheon
I enjoyed seeing a number of parents at our inaugural Sports Luncheon on Friday afternoon at the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron. It was a wonderful event and the clear highlight for many of us in attendance was hearing from four Redlanders who have competed for Australia at the highest levels: Karyn Gojnich who represented Australia in Sailing at the 1988, 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games; Janusz Hooker who won a bronze medal in Rowing for Australia at the 1996 Olympic Games; Lachlan Mackay who played Rugby professionally in Australia and overseas, as well as representing the Wallabies; and Holly Crawford who was a 4 time Olympic snowboarder in 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018.
What struck me most from their talks was how much their messages and insights aligned with the messages we, as a School, have been espousing as central tenets underlying our Vision, Mission and Values here at Redlands. They spoke of the importance of stepping out of their comfort zones and pushing themselves in new directions; of the power of failure, of learning from mistakes and growing from them; of the importance resilience in the face of adversity; of the benefit of having positive role models; and of the importance of teamwork and learning with and from others. Clearly these messages extend beyond a sporting context to all areas of learning here at Redlands.
Cocurricular Assembly
Today we celebrated the Cocurricular achievement from Term 1 in our Cocurricular Assembly. We recognised summer Sports teams, introduced 1sts teams for the upcoming season winter season and acknowledged various performing arts and public speaking accomplishments. We were fortunate to have a Redlander from the Class of 2014, Bryce Collins, return to the School to speak the students in a Q & A session with our Sports Captains. Bryce is a three time NSW State Athletics Champion in the 400m hurdles and recently finished 3rd in this event in the Australian Open National Championships. He has recently completed an engineering degree at UNSW and is working for a global engineering design firm while training for and competing in athletics at the highest level.
Battle of the Bands
On Friday night our Contemporary Music scene burst into life with the Battle of the Bands. Students from Yrs 5-12 performed a variety of numbers, displaying their talent and passion on the stage. The 70’s theme on the night saw lots of old favourites played by the bands and some vintage outfits up on stage, as well. Congratulations to Intermediate Rock Band Winner, Flaming Revolution, comprised of Yr 7 students Will Algar, Will Andrew, Thomas Jackson and Hugo Little for their rendition of Stayin’ Alive; Advanced Rock Bands Winner, The Serpentines, comprised of Yr 10 students Josh Colleran, Beau Davies, Scarlett Keay, Jameson Prescott, Tylor Wessels and June Zhang for their rendition of Mr Blue Sky; and to Unplugged and Overall Winner, Grace Bracks (Yr 11), who wowed the audience and the judges with her rendition of Jolene. Thank you to Mr Kuilenberg and the Music Department, as the well as the AV and Facilities teams for their efforts in making the night such a success.
Cross Country Carnival
Last Thursday we held our House Cross Country Carnival at Macquarie University. It was a great day of competition and House spirit with some outstanding results (individual winners for the various age groups can be found in the Secondary School Sports section of Note Day). Unfortunately, the heavens opened during the final race of the day, the Fun Run, so there were some soggy runners (students and shoes) loading back onto the buses. However, the rain did not dampen the spirits on the day. Congratulations to Dumolo for winning the House Cross Country trophy.
Term 2 Staffing Updates
History teacher and Co-SCO of HSIE (History) Mr Chris Allen will be on Long Service Leave for Term 2 and we wish him well during his leave. During his time away, Mr Rob Skinner will be the acting Co-SCO of HSIE (History). We also welcome Mr Luke Cantrill to the HSIE Department for Term 2. Mr Cantrill joins Redlands from Trinity Grammar School.
Reports
Term 1 Approaches to Learning Reports will be available at the end of the term for all students in Yrs 7-12. The aim of these reports is to bring parents in to conversations which have already been happening for the past few years between students, teachers and Tutors in tracking students’ effort. Parents will see both student self-reflections and teacher feedback on areas of Engagement, Diligence and Behaviour. There will be no marks, teacher feedback on outcomes, teacher comments or Tutor comments on these reports as these will constitute reports later in the year. More information can be found on the cover pages of this upcoming report. We hope these reports are useful feedback for students and parents at this stage of the year.
Textbook Feedback
This year we have moved to a new digital platform for Secondary School textbooks (Box of Books). This platform has allowed us to access more digital versions of textbooks and incorporate a more robust online platform that has enhanced the teaching opportunities for teachers, as well as the learning experience for students. We are excited with some of these possibilities we are already seeing in and out of the classroom. For many subjects, students have still been required to purchase hard copy textbooks and we realise there have been some issues with these purchases through the provider (LJ Harper). Some of the issues have been out of their control as there have been delays from the publishers in the release of some new versions of textbooks. However, we are reviewing our textbook providers for next year to ensure the best service is provided to our community and would appreciate your feedback. (If you have not already done so, please email any comments through to Susan Jones at sjones@redlands.nsw.edu.au). Thank you for your patience this term and your feedback.
ANZAC Day
Redlands will be participating in the Mosman RSL ANZAC Dawn Service at Georges Heights commencing at 5.30am on Thursday 25 April. Two of our senior Prefects will be laying a wreath on behalf of the School during the ceremony in commemoration of this solemn day. Parking is available at Georges Heights, entering from Middle Head Road up Suakin Drive or Best Avenue. Redlands will also be represented at the North Sydney RSL ANZAC Dawn Service at 6.00am being held at the Ridge Street War Memorial in North Sydney. Two other Prefects will be laying a wreath on behalf of the School at this Service. All members of the community are invited to join us at these Dawn Services.
Redlands Konica Minolta Art Prize Collection and Artist in Residence Program
The Redlands Konica Minolta Art Prize Collection will be on display at the School at a special event on Thursday 16 May.
Tickets available here. Drinks and canapés will be served during the evening. This is a parent only event.
Easter Holidays
It has been an action-packed term for students, staff and parents alike. Over these next few weeks I hope all of you have a wonderful Easter period, make time for family and friends and find some moments to do the things that bring you joy. I look forward to seeing all of the students back at School, refreshed and rejuvenated, on Tuesday 30 April for the beginning of Term 2.
Mr Sean Corcoran
Head of Secondary School
scorcoran@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9968 9870